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Justine Isabelle de Bretagne
Justine Isabelle de Bretagne '(French: ''Justine Constantine Michèle Marie Ambroisie Catherine Isabelle; Breton: Izabel Breizh''or ''Jestine Kustentine Michele Mari Ambrozi Katell Izabel) (26th February 1698-Present), known from birth as Demoiselle de Bretagne (Breton: Dimezell Breizh) (1699-1705), by inheritance Duchesse-Souveraine de Bretagne (Breton: Dugez Riegezh Breizh), Comtesse d'Etamps (Breton: Kontez d'Etamps), Comtesse de Rennes, Comtesse de Montfort, Comtesse de Dreux, Comtesse d'Ivry, Comtesse de Richmond, and Baronne de Parthenay (Breton: Baronez Parthenay) (1705-1715), and by marriage Impératrice-Consort de Grandelumière, Autocrate des Romains, Reine Consort de France, d'Allemagne et de Navarre, et Duchesse-Régnante de Bretagne (1715-Present). From being an independent crowned sovereign, Isabelle had, during her childhood and adolescence, survived persecution, imprisonment, assassination and physical maltreatment. All which cemented her in the annals of history as the quintessential demoiselle en détresse; a beautiful (middling), innocent, or helpless young female, placed in a dire predicament by a villain (her own mother) or monster (her own husband), and who requires a male hero to achieve her rescue. However, for Isabelle, there would be no knight in shimmering armor, no gallant steed. Isabelle, subsequently, became a metaphorical martyr of both the oppression of arbitrary government and female subordination in a patriarchal society. Prior to her marriage in 1715, she had been an embittered woman who scorned hatred for the Empire she'd soon conjointly have dominion. However, given such animosity, had to change her attitude in spite of herself. Indeed, Isabelle de Bretagne, from childhood to adolescence, went on a very long journey through hell and back. And with each defeat and each disaster, she behaved with transcendent courage. But, as an independent sovereign, Isabelle was a catastrophe because she made smooth integration into Grandelumière impossible. A relatively peaceful transition from an old world of a Grandelumièrian vassal into a new world of an integrated Grandelumièrian province was something she couldn't conceive. All of one's natural humane response to her being someone who behaved with a growing sense of tragic intelligence does not compensate for the unnecessary bloodshed she allowed and supported. It was a tragedy for Brittany, but it was also, in a Greek sense, of tragedy being no way out, of playing out one's destiny, a deep personal tragedy for Isabelle. Early Life '''Brittany Until the conclusion of the 15th-century, Brittany had been ruled by a succession of noble houses, all with the primary goal of keeping Brittany separate from France, and subsequently, Grandelumière. The Maison de Dreux-Montfort had ascended the ducal throne in 1365 as a cadet branch of the Maison de Dreux. Following the First War of the Breton Succession (1341-1365), Duc-Souverain Jean IV de Bretagne (Breton: Dug Yann IV Breizh) assumed the throne. Surprisingly, he declared himself a vassal, not to King Edward III of England as expected who had aided him in the conflict, but rather to Empereur Constantin III & V de France et Autocrate des Romains. In the midst of the conflict, in 1352, the États de Bretagne (Breton: Stadoù Breizh) were established. They would develop into Brittany's parliament. As such, Brittany retained its autonomy and independence, although tensions remained ripe with France, and its successor state, Grandelumière. Duc-Souverain François II de Bretagne (Breton: Dug Riegezh Frañsez II Breizh), the last Dreux-Montfort male ruler, prepared for succession by his only surviving child and daughter Demoiselle Anne de Bretagne (Breton: Dimezell Anna Breizh), his second daughter with Marguerite de Foix, Princesse de Navarre, had died during her childhood. In the final years of François's reign, war ensued with Grandelumière and he was finally defeated in 1488. Under the conditions of the Traité deSablé, François II acknowledged himself as a vassal of the Empereur Michael III & V de Grandelumière et Autocrate des Romains, and was forced to consent to the stipulation that Michael III & V was required to agree to the marriage of any of his own daughters. François II personally had wished for Demoiselle Anne to marry Kaiser Maximilian I von Österreich et Römisch-Deutscher Kaiser, as a means to hopefully ensure the independence of Brittany from Grandelumière. Michael III & V obviously opposed this match as it placed Brittany in the hands of an enemy of Grandelumière. All out war finally broke out when Duc-Souverain François II de Bretagne died on the 9th September 1488, and Demoiselle Anne de Bretagne was enthroned as Duchesse-Souveraine de Bretagne (Breton: Dugez Riegezh Breizh) the following year in January. François' loyal supporters facilitated the union between Anne and Maximilian I, and a proxy marriage was held in December 1490. Michael III & V, enraged, quickly arranged an annulment for himself from Jeanne de Grandelumière, daughter of Empereur Constantin V & XVI de Grandelumière et Autocrate des Romains, and declared his intention to marry Anne and integrate Brittany into the Imperial domain. Citing the violation of the terms of the Traité de Sablé, Michael III & V invaded Brittany in the spring of 1491. Following the siege and subsequent fall of Rennes, Anne was forcefully kidnapped and engaged to Michael III & V. However, Austria, still reeling from the loss of the Heiliges Römisches Reich, came to the aid of Anne. After what was dubbed the Second War of the Breton Succession (1491-1497) came to an end, a compromise was reached in the Traité de Poitiers in 1497, with the only brother of Michael III & V; Constantin d'Anjou de Grandelumière, Duc de Berry, marrying Anne. Thus, following Constantin's accession by his marriage to Anne, Brittany retained close ties with Grandelumière, without being integrated into it. In the following decades, Brittany fell into obscurity, losing much of its ability to function as a separate entity of Grandelumière. Grandelumière was able to hold its influence over Brittany by stressing her familial ties and a series of dynastic marriages in the 16th, 17th, and 18th-centuries. Apart from several revolts by prominent nobles, the most notable being the War of Breton Independence, Grandelumière gradually extended her influence over Brittany, and its Franco-Byzantine culture was instituted in the Breton court. Birth Justine Constantine Michèle Marie Ambroisie Catherine Isabelle was born at the Grand Palais de Rennes (Breton: Palez Roazhon), Rennes, Brittany, on the evening of the 26th February 1698. She was the third child born to Duc-Souverain Constantin VII (Constantin Jean François Pierre Arthur Anne) d'Évreux de Bretagne and Philippine (Marie Constance Philippine) d'Anjou de Grandelumière (née''Princesse de la Porphyre). Isabelle's father, Constantin VII, had been the first born child and only surviving son born to Duc-Souverain Constantin VI (Constantin Conan Geoffroi Alain Éon Havoise Hoël) d'Évreux de Bretagne and Xavière (Justine Alexandrine Xavière) d'Anjou de Grandelumière (''née''Princesse de la Porphyre). Constantin's (VII) father, Constantin VI, had been the first born child and only surviving son born to Duc-Souverain Constantin V (Justin Constantin Michael) d'Évreux de Bretagne and Michèle (Michèle Catherine Justine) d'Anjou de Grandelumière (''née''Princesse de la Porphyre). Constantin's (VII) mother, Xavière, had been the second born child and second daughter born to Empereur Constantin IX & XX de Grandelumière et Autocrate des Romains and Marguerite de Médicis (''née''Princesa Margarita). Xavière also was the younger sister of Impératrice St. Marie II de Grandelumière et Autocrate des Romains. Isabelle's mother, Philippine, had been the second born child and only daughter born to Empereur Constantin X & XXI de Grandelumière et Autocrate des Romains and Maria Ambrosía de la Concepción de Austria y Austria y de Habsburgo, commonly known as Marie Ambroisie d'Autriche, (''née''Infanta de España). Philippine's father, Constantin X & XXI, had been the first born child and first son born to St. Marie II Porphyrogénète and Justin (Philippe Auguste Justin) d'Anjou. Philippine's mother, Maria Ambrosía, had been the second born child and second daughter born to Rey Felipe IV de Austria y Austria y de Habsburgo de España and Mariana von Österreich von Habsburg (''née''Erzherzogin von Österreich). Unlike Constantin VII who maintained an undying passion for Brittany, Philippine de Grandelumière never warmed to her new home, and Brittany never warmed to Philippine. When St. Marie II Porphyrogénète had announced the marriage, Philippine apparently collapsed, prostrating, and begged her to cancel the whole thing. However, all would be in vain. And in May 1694, Philippine departed Grandelumière forever (or so she believed). The citizens of Brittany, quite understandably, couldn't stomach any more Grandelumièrian princesses arriving in their country. So much had been their loathing of Grandelumièrian women, that many of the roads entering Brittany had been poorly barricaded by the peasantry in order to detain Philippine's progress. Philippine found this extremely odious since it meant her carriage had to keep stopping to clear the way, subjecting her to the mocking of the local peasantry—"Ah exalted lady, have you lost your way?"There had been, however, a welcome (or had it been highly tolerated) Grandelumièrian arrival in Brittany. This had been Xavière de Grandelumière, who married Constantin VI. This Duchesse-Souveraine had been much loved, given her charity and extreme religiosity. Above all, Xavière maintained a retired and complaisant lifestyle and didn't dabble in court intrigue. Given her approval of Brittany and her independence, Xavière and Philippine would never really harmonize. Following the marriage betwixt Philippine and Constantin VII, during which she had been reminded to smile, the pair successfully consummated. And in January 1695, a small boy arrived but mercifully died during childbirth. In February 1696, a small girl arrived and survived only a year, being baptized Constantine Jeanne Françoise Pierrette Arthurine Marianne d'Évreux de Bretagne. Given her unsuccessful attempts at childbearing, and being at court during a generation in which children were a more than common sight (Alain XVII de Rohan, Vicomte de Rohan, had produced eleven children with Marie Élisabeth de Bec-Crespin de Grimaldi, Vicomtesse de Rohan), Philippine soon came to dislike children, and actually reviled by them. Another element relating to Philippine's great loathing of children had been the hazardous nature of all her childbirths. When Marianne de Bretagne had been born in February 1696, severe vaginal bleeding had occurred. However, it would be Isabelle who caused Philippine the most physical damage. Philippine had to endure an episiotomy (a surgical cut into the perineum, which is the muscular area between the vagina and buttocks). Philippine had not only been awake while the episiotomy had been undertaken, but had been awake while being sewn back up. Nevertheless, no matter how much she complained, Constantin VII made her endure another pregnancy. In 1700, another small girl arrived and was subsequently baptized Romaine Andronique Constantine Michèle Jeanne Marie d'Évreux de Bretagne. This childbirth would mean that another episiotomy would be in order. The obstetrician, having looked over Philippine and her condition announced that no more children would be expected. Now being formally proclaimed as barren, a damning name association, the marriage between Philippine and Constantin VII would crumble dramatically. The couple would spend an entire day, or week, without uttering a single word to one another, and when they did it would only be in anger. As such, Philippine kept away from the court, and her children. She had been angry and wanted her own power and independence, though crippled with anger at the knowledge she'd never have it. ''L'araignée, as she'd been dubbed, surrounded herself with pro-Grandelumièrian noblemen, including the Vicomte de Rohan, keeping her eye on Constantin VII and his weak health, awaiting her moment to pounce. Constantin VII had Isabelle officially recognized as his heiress by the Estates of Brittany on the 10th February 1700. There hadn't been an heiress in Brittany since the 15th-century, and much had changed culture wise in some four-hundred years. This meant that her title and mode of address were somewhat ambiguous from the start. What would people call her? Among the six siblings of Constantin VII (all women), they had been known by the traditional title Demoiselle, Damsel, or even Maid. Even Anne de Bretagne, the previous female heir in the 15th-century, had been called Demoiselle Anne de Bretagne but internationally regarded as a princess. But would this do in the later 17th-century? Indeed, much had changed culture-wise. Looking for assistance in the name of the male heir didn't really help since they had all been known as the Count of Richmond, and as had been agreed in the marriage agreement of Anne de Bretagne: "All titles and styles according to the Duchesse de Bretagne will pass to her husband's heirs male."''There would be no mention of women here. Determined to Grandelumièrify Brittany, Constantin I, former Duc de Berry, had wanted to behave more like a Grandelumièrian monarch than a meer Breton sovereign. He proclaimed that his successors, both male, and female, would be given princely designation. However, Constantin I would have to be content with the agreement made in the marriage document that he would simply be adopting the sovereignty of Brittany and not inheriting it. This meant that he could implement Franco-Byzantine culture but not tamper with ''"particular formalities."''Namely, the aristocratic hierarchy which had existed in Brittany since the 9th-century AD. Quite correctly, Constantin I, born a ''Fils de Grandelumière(son of the Grandelumièrian monarch), and that it was simply his birthright to hereditarily name his children with a princely designation. Furthermore, such would be allowed since Brittany was a vassal of Grandelumière and Constantin's personal code of succession applied. Following a discussion on the matter was taken up in the États de Bretagne, a compromise had been arranged. Constantin I, upon his death, would pass his own princely designation to his successor Duc-Souverain Constantin II de Bretagne. Following Constantin II, the title would pass down once more to his own children since Constantin II was technically a Petit-Fil de Grandelumière(a grandson of the Grandelumièrian monarch). Given that by Grandelumièrian law, there had been no eminent courtesy title beyond a Petit-Fil de Grandelumière, the princely designation would end with Constantin II. A further note had been made by the États de Bretagne: "no Électeur, Landgrave nor Margrave of any independent sovereignty, born of good nobility would ever hold such princely pretensions to their next of kin unless, be that man or wife, already doth possess such title by inheritance or birthright." Had Isabelle been born under Constantin I or II she would have been known as Princesse Isabelle. But this wasn't the 15th and 16th-centuries. And since Isabelle's father had strong nationalistic and sentimental sentiments for the ancient traditions of his realm, he decided that the title demoiselle would be designation enough. Poor Constantin VII had been badgered so much by the entire matter that during a council meeting, he had thumped his hand upon the table and pronounced: "What does it bloody matter?! As long as she inherits the sodding realm!" Childhood Philippine de Grandelumière, being extremely anti-Breton, would've been smart to choose a pro-Grandelumièrian governess to rear her children. But she wasn't smart. Philippine was impossibly stubborn and lazy when it came to children, endlessly pouting and complaining when she could've been working to her own advantage. Her husband, however, naturally had the upper hand. He hired his former governess, the authoritarian, the devout, and the draconian Madeleine du Halgouëy, Dame de La Rocherousse, du Bohu Robien, du Botherel, and de Kergrec’h. Furthermore, Constantin VII sent both Isabelle and Demoiselle Marie away from Rennes where a pro-Grandelumièrian undercurrent began to surface. They had been sent away, guarded by four Chevalier, to the Château des Ducs de Bretagne (Breton: Kastell Duged Breizh), Nantes, the rundown medieval residence of the Souverain-Ducs de Bretagne which had been unoccupied (exerting brief visitations) since the late 15th-century. Here, Constantin VII believed his children would be raised in a more nationalistic and humble manner, a move which would greatly please the Breton people. Between them, they would be allowed two ladies-in-waiting and would be provided fabric for clothes, bedding, and pocket money as much as 100 livres annually. And when Isabelle grew of age, during the New Years' of 1704, she received from Constantin VII a saddle with gilded reins and scarlet ornaments, accompanied by a letter; "I have the assurance of your mother's love and affection."''He'd also send her figs and almonds on occasion. A week's shopping list for included; ''"Saturday: bread, ale, sole, almonds, butter, eggs. Sunday: mutton, pork, chicken and eggs. Monday: beef, pork, honey, vinegar. Tuesday. pork, eggs, egret. Wednesday: herring, conger, sole, eels, almonds, and eggs. Thursday: pork, eggs, pepper, honey. Friday: conger, sole, eels, herring, and almonds." Both Isabelle and her younger sister Demoiselle Marie formed a dependent bond. They tended to share experiences; if one became ill, the other would catch the infection, and both would be segregated from their small household, then sent off to convalesce together. These were two lively little girls; at the same time, Isabelle was the dominant one, the protectress, Demoiselle Marie the dependent one. Constantin VII particularly admired Isabelle's spirit; she was, said Constantin VII, the one who most closely resembled himself. Perhaps it helped their symbiotic relationship that Isabelle and Demoiselle Marie "resembled each other greatly,"''as the painters later pointed out (portraits of the two could be easily be mistaken). As children they shared the same big blue eyes, pink and white complexions, fair hair and longish noses; but for indefinable reasons, it all added up to feminine prettiness in Demoiselle Marie. Isabelle, if ''"not as pretty,"''was, on the other hand, attractive with a forceful personality. However, Isabelle and Demoiselle Marie wouldn't be alone in Nantes. There were in attendance two young noblewomen of lesser rank, who had they been Grandelumièrian, would be something equivalent to Princesses du Sang. ''L'honorable''Béatrice de Kerguiziau Kervasdoué, was the virtual twin of Isabelle (she was born three days later on the 28th) and like her younger sister L'honorable Berthe de Kerguiziau Kervasdoué, born in 1702, had been brought up at the miniature court in Nantes. The two young women were the nieces of Constantin VII, their mother being Constantin's younger sister Georgette. Known affectionately as Ette, Georgette had achieved that ultimate rarity among the marriages of European princesses, a love match. If Isabelle's reciprocated affection for Demoiselle Marie had set the pattern for close and, above all, cozy female relationships early in her life, then her connection to Béatrice and Demoiselle Berthe continued the trend. These were to be lasting friendships. Time and duty would soon separate the four of them geographically and hierarchically, but Isabelle, a frequent correspondent, found it a joy to write to them, the friends of her youth. She retained the portraits of her ''"cousins dear"''among her most intimate possessions for the rest of her life. From 1699 to 1705, Isabelle and Demoiselle Marie would remain in Nantes. Every summer, Constantin VII would bring the court, including the sulky Philippine de Grandelumière on occasion (coincidentally the air in Nantes never seemed to appeal to her health, having to take the unfortunate precaution at quarantining herself in her apartment). Much later Isabelle told a lady-in-waiting that she had never loved her mother, only feared her; but this was hindsight when a great many unhappy adult experiences had distorted the simplicities of childhood. Her comment during her adolescence was probably nearer the truth: ''"I love Maman but I’m frightened of her, even at a distance; when I'm writing to her, I never feel completely at ease."''The evidence of earlier times is of an adoring daughter who on occasion was quite pathetic in her desire to please. '''Education' Isabelle studied arithmetic, canon and civil law, classical literature, genealogy and heraldry, history (predominantly European), philosophy, religion, and theology. She learned to speak, read and write in English, French, German, Greek, Hebrew, Italian, Latin, Spanish. She'd too learn to speak Breton on her own inclination. Isabelle was also taught domestic skills, such as cooking, dancing, drawing, needlework, good manners, lace-making, music, sewing, spinning, and weaving. She learned to play the harp, harpsichord, hurdy-gurdy, lute, virginal and was competent in singing. Isabelle had a passion for tales of chivalry as well as devotional texts. Hunting would always remain a passion, especially falconry. While pursuing the traditional feminine interests such as embroidery, she took special pleasure in working on priestly vestments. As a child, she requested spiritual direction and became even more devoted to the Lord under the guidance of the Franciscan Order. Pope Clement XI allowed her to retain some Franciscan Friars as her own special confessors. She even said that she'd been more devoted to the Franciscan Order than her to her own mother. Her education would begin around 1705 and ended around 1715. Markedly, even though Isabelle had been announced as Constantin's successor, there had been no attempt to inculcate in Isabelle a monarchical education. She hadn't really been taught about how the poor lived (besides naturally being less fortunate than her), neither did she understand how Brittany worked or operated. The only way she knew that she would one day inherit the ducal throne would her own governess having to remind her by implementing the matter in everyday conversation. One such occasion occurred while Isabelle studied a map of Nantes, when the governess casually pointed out that one day Isabelle would own all you saw before her, Isabelle perked a brow and inclined her head in gratitude, "Really? My governess is very kind to remind me."''Furthermore, she had been educated by women, intelligent women, but women all the same. In reality, she should have been reared by knowledgeable noblemen and military men, and essentially raised like a boy. Though to Isabelle, in time, this wouldn't matter much. It was but her divine destiny in which to rule and God surely believed that. '''Ascension' In 1705, Isabelle and Demoiselle Marie departed Nantes and traveled to Rennes where they'd finally take up occupancy at the Palais de Rennes. Constantin VII adored having his children with him in Rennes: "They make my work more agreeable."''Constantin VII finally decided to have Isabelle grow up surrounded by the government and to see firsthand how Brittany worked. Indeed, something seemed to work, since Isabelle had begun asking intelligent questions relating to how the poor lived and such fundamental knowledge like what bread was. However, all would be pointless, since Constantin VII was a very unwell man. Constantin VII had never been healthy. During his youth, he contracted smallpox. Although he recovered quickly, he was permanently weakened. In 1705, Constantin VII complained of a sore throat and pain when swallowing. Following further observation, a physician announced that he'd contracted scarlatina (scarlet fever). By 1706, Constantin VII had taken a turn for the worse. By 1707, he refused to take medicine. When Isabelle questioned why he wouldn't take medicine—''pourquoi Papa pourquoi—he replied solemnly: "If God would like me with him, there are none who can stop him."''As time went by, he had grown weaker and thinner. Finally, on 14th March 1707, Constantin VII died in his sleep. The following day, Isabelle wrote in her journal: ''"My dear Papa died at three in the morning after two years of patient pain. Last week he put his work away, saying the quill was too heavy. Saturday he slept, and at midnight became unconscious, quietly breathing his life away till two; then, with one last look of his noble eyes, he was gone." Isabelle had been permitted to witness the condition of her father since she had survived scarlatina during her infancy, and wouldn't be able to contract it again. In her journal entry, the death of Constantin VII was cathartically romanticized, but, in reality, it had been gruesome. Her gruesomely accurate account of the death of Constantin VII would be recorded in a letter penned in 1715: "He begged for ether(an anesthetic, made from a mixture of ethanol and sulfuric acid), though the effect by then gone. What he suffered was seen in his face, at twenty-five he looked like a man of sixty, so terribly gaunt, drained, and all his beautiful hair gone. He couldn't leave his room. A pink-red rash, which he complained felt like cyanide covered sand, appeared all over his exposed chest and stomach. He couldn't move. A white coating appeared on the tongue. It eventually peeled, leaving it red and swollen. He couldn't speak. The same rash moved up upon his face, and his eyes became swollen. He couldn't see. And he now begged for death. Then death came, and I knew very well what death meant, a liberator for him, a teacher for us." In her journal, following on from the original entry on her father's passing, Isabelle then wrote: "I was awoken at six o'clock by Maman, who told me the Archevêque de Rennes and Monsieur Rougé were here and wished to see me. I climbed out of bed and went into my audience chamber (only in my nightdress!) and alone, and saw them all. All the noblemen of the court had been awaiting me, the Archevêque de Rennes and Monsieur Rougé standing ahead of them all. Rougé then acquainted me that my poor Papa was no more, and had expired at twelve minutes past two this morning, and consequently that I am sovereign of Brittany. I didn't cry, I had been a very good girl."''All then knelt and proclaimed the Breton motto in both the original Breton (for the ancient noble families who knew it), and French: ''"Rather death than dishonor."''Given that Isabelle was too young to rule in her own right, Constantin VII had appointed, prior to his passing, Pierre III de Rougé, Seigneur de La Bellière, as her regent. Rougé had been a boyhood companion and intimate of Isabelle's father. Rougé had been appointed by Constantin VII to teach Isabelle and Demoiselle Marie horsemanship and molded them to become fine equestriennes. Isabelle would think back with misty eyes at his charms—"like gentle Jesus, meek, and mild."With the passage of time, the hardships of life would persuade Isabelle to look back with a more sentimental—and somewhat hyperbolic—manner to his ''"countenance and gallantry."''Her good relations with Rougé outstretched to the extended Maison de Rougé. In particular, the cheerful company of Jeanne-Julie de Coëtmen, Dame de La Bellière, reading characters from English verse in a way which made Isabelle giggle. Ideally, now would have been the opportune time to marry Isabelle off to the Grandelumièrian monarch, while Isabelle was young and relatively unassuming. Furthermore, Brittany was heavily in debt (nearly bankrupt), and the social structure which had prevailed since the 9th-century AD was crumbling. There was much disillusionment among the people; were they technically being ruled by a foreign country? Why do our monarchs persist to marry into the Angevin family? A dignified end to a struggling vassal was in order. But it never came to pass. '''Enthronement' The enthronement would be held in the Cathédrale Saint-Pierre de Rennes. The ceremony in 1706 began with the ducal family arriving and taking their seat in the gallery, this included Philippine de Grandelumière, now Douairière Duchesse de Bretagne, Xavière de Grandelumière, another Douairière Duchesse de Bretagne, Demoiselle Marie, and after her the four unmarried sister of Constantin VII; Marie de Bretagne, Abbesse de Landévennec, Marguerite de Bretagne, Sœur Marguerite de Jésus, Madeleine de Bretagne, Sœur Madeleine de l'Immaculée Conception, Georgette de Bretagne, Dame de Kerguiziau Kervasdoué, accompanied by the Seigneur de Kerguiziau Kervasdoué, L'honorable Béatrice de Kerguiziau Kervasdoué, and L'honorable Berthe de Kerguiziau Kervasdoué. The Archevêque de Rennes, led by Rougé, the Grand Master of Brittany, the Grand Marshal of Brittany, and the Guard of the Sword carrying the Great Sword of Brittany, made their way to the dais where the enthronement was to be conducted. After reaching the podium where the Secretary of State for Brittany, carrying the Letters Patent was already standing, the Grand Marshal then instructed the Chancellor of the Order of the Garter to conduct the Demoiselle Isabelle and her cortège''from the tower. As they came to the stage Isabelle knelt before the three thrones on the stage. During the reading of the Letters Patent in Brezhoneg, the Archevêque de Rennes invested Isabelle with the girdle, sash of the order of the ermine, sword, coronet, ring, rod, ducal mantle, and banner respectively. The Letters Patent stated that ''"Justine Constantine Michèle Marie Ambroisie Catherine Isabelle would receive the title, style, honor, and privilege of the and Duché de Bretagne, Comté d'Etamps, de Rennes, de Montfort, de Dreux, d'Ivry, Richmond, and the Baronnie de Parthenay."''Isabelle then declared: ''"I, Isabelle, Duchesse de Bretagne, do become your liege lady of life and limb and of earthly worship, and faith and truth I bear unto you, to live and die against all manner of folks."''Then the Archevêque de Rennes customarily kissed Isabelle's cheek and they embraced. Isabelle then took her place in the throne, before standing to give two precocious speeches (written by the Seigneur de La Bellière with much input of intention by Isabelle): ''"The words of your address have certainly touched me deeply. And I can assure you that I have taken note of the hopes expressed in them. It is indeed my firm intention, to associate myself in word, and deed, with as much of the life of the duchy as possible. It is with a certain sense of pride and emotion that I have received these symbols of office, here in this magnificent cathedral where no one can fail to be stirred by its atmosphere of grandeur nor where I myself could be unaware of the long history of Brittany, in her determination to remain individual and to guard her own particular heritage, a heritage that dates back into the midst of ancient French history. She has produced many brave men, women, poets, bards, and scholars. All these people have been inspired in some way by her heritage. I hope and trust that in time that I shall be able to offer my own contribution and to do that I seek your cooperation and understanding. Speaking for myself, I have come to see far more in the title I hold than hitherto. I am determined to serve and try as best I can to live up to my Brittany, and her rather uncertain future. One thing I am clear about, and it is that Brittany needs to look forward without forsaking the traditions and forsaking aspects of her past. The past can be just as much as a stimulus to the future as anything else. By the affirmation of your loyalty today, to which I express my gratitude, this will not faintly be a faint hope." A brief religious service was then conducted and the Archevêque de Rennes led Isabelle to the cathedral entrance, to receive the homage of her new nation. The numerous banners and standards of Isabelle were hung all around her. A procession of her carriage then followed, which wound slowly back to the palace. Upon their arrival, all devoured a sumptuous banquet and danced until dawn. Touchingly, her governess made sure to make clear that "our new Duchesse must be in bed by seven thirty."''Philippine had apparently appeared bored, and uninterested. '''Regency (Pierre III de Rougé)' The new administration would govern from a council appointed by Constantin VII prior to his passing (he wouldn't allow, nor trust, to leave the matter up to anyone but he). The council met around nine-thirty every morning where they discussed the matters of the day. Monday and Wednesday would be the appointed day in which the Conseil d’État would be held. Tuesday and Thursday would be the appointed day in which the Conseil des Finances would meet. Friday and Saturday would be reserved for gardeners, architects, and musicians. Sunday would play host to the most important, and serious questions in which they'd be discussed at length. Indeed, The new administration seemed promising. Rougé had appointed over ninety-six noblewomen to Isabelle's new household and had Philippine de Grandelumière removed from the ducal apartment. The chamber now underwent renovation in the modern style. Her education would be continued in the same manner in which she had during her youth, meaning a continuation of her pointless pursuits in feminine accomplishments. However, her understanding of how the poor lived would soon improve better than it had been prior to her ascension. And any such improvement would only happen by physically seeing the poor for herself. By summer 1707, Isabelle and her household toured Brittany. Rougé remained in Rennes, but would however send Dame Jeanne-Julie to accompany Isabelle. Philippine de Grandelumière would (unusually) accompany her daughter also. She'd travel from Rennes onward to Fougères, St-Malo, Saint-Brieuc, Lannion, Morlaix, Brest, Quimper, Concarneau, Lorient, Vannes, Saint-Nazaire, and Nantes. In Vannes, Isabelle particularly impressed everyone with an address to the people in Breton: "I am never happy unless in the bosom of my beloved people."''What Isabelle learned from her tour of Brittany had been the sensitive matter of the people's sufferings and deplorable poverty, which she deeply wanted to fix. Her passion for assisting her people was so strong that she even wrote back to Rougé in Rennes on the matter, precociously advising him (even if it had been childishly ambiguous advice, the sentiment remained) to ''"do all one can do to relieve their suffering."''It had been on this trip that Isabelle confided in Philippine: ''"Having seen everything Papa loved, I now know I'm Breton."''One can only imagine what Philippine felt about that. Another revelation had been more standard. The ocean. Isabelle had been greatly impressed by seeing the ocean for the first time when the court traveled near the coast of the Atlantic and stayed in the Château de Suscinio. She'd strongly believe that her week in Suscinio had been her happiest. Though, while Isabelle had been enjoying her tour, some malicious undercurrent had been flowing. Isabelle had been awakened at the dead hour when humanity's resistance is at its lowest, two o'clock in the morning. Her mother had been the one who'd woken her: ''"I was awoken at two o'clock by Maman, and she announced that she had obtained documented proof that my regent in Rennes had been planning an insurrection in that city."''Philippine had manufactured everything. Isabelle wasn't sure what to think, however, Philippine obviously did. The latter and her pro-Grandelumière circle had now essentially committed to coups d'état against Rougé. Philippine persuaded Isabelle to move troops in whopping numbers in and around Rennes. Since Isabelle was still very young, there was nothing she could've done. If she'd spoken out, she'd have simply been silenced. Following this catastrophic action, Rennes became subject to military occupation and the regency council liquidated which created the atmosphere for rebellion against Isabelle's rule and the influence of the ''chatte(the feminine form of the word cunt). A document signed by Isabelle had been presented to Rougé, but the latter knew that the chatte was behind it. What was Philippine's agenda? Nobody really knew and all was rather haphazard in its organization. Philippine wasn't all clever when it came to political scheming and, more importantly, how to run a country. She'd need more than her Grandelumièrian charm and femininity to rule cocksure Breton noblemen. She had, since her arrival, become friendly with the Breton nobility who were pro-Grandelumière in the view, seeing richer land and a profitable future in her. The Vicomte de Rohan, had hinted upon the integration of Brittany into Grandelumière around the time Philippine committed herself to the coup, but she declined. During her husband's lifetime, integration into Grandelumière had always been on her mind, but now that power could be her own she decided to take it. All was noir et blanc with the coup; manipulate daughter, overthrow Rougé. What she planned to do with her power would be up to the future. When Constantin X & XI found out about the apparent treachery of Rougé in Rennes (widely believed by Europe), he instructed that Philippine's only preoccupation was to rear the girl—his italics—in a manner worthy of a Grandelumièrian Imperial. To rear, in Philippine's unusual mind, meant manipulation since Isabelle had already grown into quite the daddy's girl. With Rohan at her side and the support of the ducal army, Philippine now had control of Brittany. Rougé in exile could do nothing but wait until he gained enough support to rival Philippine and Rohan. Regency (Philippine de Grandelumière) Philippine de Grandelumière and the Vicomte de Rohan now aimed at rendering the young Isabelle, and to a lesser extent young Demoiselle Marie, weak and dependent, and thus unlikely to adhere to her other relatives in the extended Maison d'Evreux. This included Isabelle's grandmother Xavière de Grandelumière, remarkably still alive, who didn't share Philippine's "unfeminine"''pretensions. Xavière had been allowed to remain in Rennes but decided to retire to the Château de Châteaugiron. This new administration was a cruel one of bullying and, most of all, surveillance. Isabelle was not allowed to be alone for a second. She was never allowed to be apart from either her mother, her tutor, or her governesses, the Vicomtesse de Rohan, and Catherine Bégon, Vicomtesse de La Galissonière. She was kept isolated from other children; Philippine and Rohan strictly monitored and recorded her every action and entirely controlled whom she was allowed to meet. Her every cough, every word and even choice of dress was faithfully reported to the Vicomte de Rohan. Isabelle's loyal household was dismissed, all ninety-six, and was placed in the service of Philippine (except the faithful women in exile). The movement of her household had been deemed necessary until her legal maturity. Even her governess Madeleine du Halgouëy had been dismissed. Halgouëy would die in exile the following year, swearing upon her deathbed that her pride in rearing both Constantin VII and Isabelle as proud Breton sovereigns had been unshaken. She did, however, add a gloomy presentiment for the future: ''"you will see that Grandelumière will abduct our Duchesse. They will make Paris a true prison for her." The only time in which Isabelle had been permitted to make the seldom trip outside the palace grounds would be to attend the occasional service at the Cathédrale Saint-Pierre de Rennes for solemnities, feasts, and memorials. However, in a more positive light, her education continued the way it had under the former administration and sovereignty (with emphasis on Grandelumièrian history which she didn't all mind). Philippine and the Rohan instituted a strict daily schedule for Isabelle's education. Morning lessons began at 9:30 sharp with a break at 11:30. Lessons would resume for the afternoon at 3:00 and would last until 5:00. The rules that were set in place for Isabelle were as follows; * She must sleep in the same room as Philippine de Grandelumière. * She must hold hands with an adult when walking up or down the stairs. * She must always be in the presence of an adult. * She must not be allowed to socialize with other children her age. * She must adhere to her daily schedule. * She must not be allowed to talk to other relatives (especially her grandmother). * She must only be allowed to read pre-selected books by Philippine de Grandelumière or the Vicomte de Rohan. * She must report every cough to Philippine de Grandelumière or the Vicomte de Rohan. * She must ask Philippine de Grandelumière or the Vicomte de Rohan what to wear. * She must ask Philippine de Grandelumière or the Vicomte de Rohan if she can walk outside or open a window. * She must address Philippine de Grandelumière as Votre Grâce Sereine''and the Vicomte de Rohan as ''L'Seigneurie. In 1709, Georgette de Kerguiziau Kervasdoué, the Seigneur de Kerguiziau Kervasdoué, L'honorable Béatrice de Kerguiziau Kervasdoué, and L'honorable Berthe de Kerguiziau Kervasdoué had been exiled to the Château de la Haye in Saint-Divy. It had been believed that the Seigneur had been conspiring against Philippine and Rohan. Though true, he wouldn't be able to do anything anymore, since the Seigneur de Kerguiziau Kervasdoué would die in exile. Georgette and her children had been given the opportunity to return on the grounds that they were relatives of Constantin VII. L'honorable Béatrice de Kerguiziau Kervasdoué would now be known as Dame Béatrice, inheriting the seigneuries de Tronjoly, de Quizac, de Tréléon, et de Kerbiriou. With Dame Béatrice came something more important, correspondence from the Seigneur de La Bellière in exile. Rougé hadn't dared send a letter direct to Rennes, he could only entrust it with someone loyal and close to Isabelle. Dame Béatrice. The latter had hidden the correspondence well, deep within corsetry, and duly presented Isabelle with it once she had been given the chance. The letter had been something like an official document, signed with signatures upon signatures, stamp seal upon stamp seal, an extensive pledge of loyalty from congregating rebels. In the letter/document, Rougé explained what Isabelle knew deep down, that her mother had been lying to gain power. The document did, however, include some emotional blackmail—''"What would your Papa think? To see his Brittany crumple because your Maman allowed you."'' Rougé had rallied all exiled noblemen and the peasantry in upper-Brittany to rebel against Philippine de Grandelumière and her bullying administration. Among his supporters would be Marzin Armanz Douarnenez, Alan de Carnoët, and Gwenog Queinnec. The important port-town of St-Malo had been taken, and a plan to move onward around Dinan was in the making. Both the governors of Fort de la Conchée and Fort de la St-Malo had been assassinated, and the surrounding villages of Saint-Servan and Saint-Jouan-des-Guérets were practically blackened earth. Philippine grew uncomfortable and didn't want to deal with civil war. Ever since her coups d'état, Rennes had been subject to many small rebellions, each easily quenched by the ducal guard. But with every rebellion, every public slur, Philippine's patience grew short. After being pressed, and pressed, and pressed to agree to simply integrate Brittany into her homeland, Philippine agreed and accepted an offer of marriage from Philippe II d'Anjou de Lorraine, Électeur de Lorraine, betwixt Isabelle and the young Empereur Constantin XI & XII Porphyrogénète de Grandelumière et Autocrate des Romains. Lorraine, militaristic and antagonistic until the end, would march upon Brittany with an army of ten thousand with the intent to suppress the small rebellions across the land. Philippine now had a short time in which Isabelle would have to sign the marriage document. In the autumn of 1710, when Isabelle fell ill with typhoid, they saw an opportunity to act quickly. While she was weeping with fever in bed, Philippine and Rohan loomed over her and repeatedly attempted to force her to sign a marriage document—in effect, a document to sign away Brittany's independence. But Isabelle, as she later wrote: "resisted in spite of my illness, and their harshness." Unwavering, Philippine and Rohan redoubled their efforts to force Isabelle to sign the marriage document. They told Isabelle that the country would be more content to be ruled under the Grandelumièrian monarch than her; they begged and threatened—and Philippine declared she should be locked up in her bedroom, windows whitewashed, and denied food. This would be her breaking point. Isabelle unwillingly signed away Brittany following a week of starvation, with only mineral water for nourishment. Her marriage contract stated that it was concluded to "ensure harmony between the Duché de Bretagne and the Empire de Grandelumière." Isabelle would be known, by courtesy, as the Archiduchesse de Constantinoble, until her marriage. Lorraine soon arrived in Rennes. Upon seeing Isabelle for the first time, Lorraine remarked to a companion, one Seigneur de Thoiry: "She is a delicate thing, fair of figure and she holds herself well. While certainly taller than myself, I see little mettle in her; a pony taught to trot about the yard prettily." However, Isabelle found Lorraine rather disgusting looking: "I have seen prettier peasantry." Indeed, Lorraine was small, just standing over five feet, with a hunched back and thin greasy hair. Following his short time in Rennes, Lorraine marched deeper into Brittany, establishing garrisons in the major ports where the welcoming and docile merchants welcomed Grandelumièrian suzerainty for the boom of trade it brought. After months of marching about the country in the middle of winter securing towns and only facing nightly raids on his camp and harassment of his baggage, Lorraine was confounded by this style of warfare the Bretons preferred. The first true action of the war came in March 1711 when Lorraine marched against the rebel-controlled town of Lannion. Could Isabelle have prevented outright war? Yes, she could have. It would have only taken for Isabelle to make a public announcement of her agreement to the marriage and of her personal intent to do so and all the exiled noblemen could do nothing but follow her decree. In this sense, she could save Brittany from much bloodshed. However, Isabelle, at thirteen, was a stubborn soul and believed, naively (since the rebels were clearly outnumbered), that Rougé and his merry men could win. Even back when the first offer of marriage had been asked of her to accept, she knew deep down that there wouldn't be any hope in winning if the rebellion, yet she allowed the disillusionment to carry on. She even damningly went on to write to the exiled Rougé and egged him on to fight for her cause, when she should've been telling him to stand down. If she had an inkling they would lose, as she had written so in a letter to Dame Jeanne-Julie—''"much blood will be shed and all will be over for us"—why was she continuing to support Grandelumière's enemy, which really meant she would be committing high treason. With all her rather idealistic and dumb assumptions about war, Isabelle kept silent and continued supporting rebels behind the scenes, digging an endless hole of treason. '''The War of Breton Independence or Pichonnerie' Supplemented by Isabelle's army, The Électeur de Lorraine and fourteen-thousand men stormed and sacked the Lannion, slaughtering a garrison of more than a thousand, though many more thousands of civilians were massacred in the attack, with nearly half of the town burning to the ground. A number of the rebel leaders were captured and hanged, most notably Marzin Armanz Douarnenez, Alan de Carnoët, and Gwenog Queinnec. When they were strung up, their executions imminent, Carnoët reportedly said in perfect French, words of the ancient historian Tacitus: "To ravage, to slaughter, to usurp under false titles, they call empire; and where they make a desert, they call it peace."''Their bodies were dismembered and pieces sent to major towns and cities of the country as a warning. After prominent action in Brittany, the rebels donned on Lorraine the nickname Kaoc'h Philip. Pierre III de Rougé, Seigneur de La Bellière, had been killed during the fighting, which hurt Isabelle deeply. Rougé's family had sought exile away from Lannion and had been advised to ask sanctuary in the Château de Châteaugiron with the more sympathetic Xavière de Grandelumière. At hearing the news, Isabelle, now with Breton blood on her hands, collapsed into the arms of Dame Béatrice. She would then remain in bed for a week, unable to speak or move, completely despondent (guilt?). When Isabelle found the strength, she took to incessant praying, vowing that she'd never ceased to mourn the "brave and faithful" men who had died in her defense. Even though she had figuratively signed their death warrants every time she had given nonexistent hope, Isabelle continued her correspondence and sending of aid money. Lannion only served to further inspire the Bretons to rebel, and a large makeshift force sizing around eight-thousand men of dubious quality gathered and marched into lower Brittany, inciting more to join their ranks as they made their way to Rennes, feeding themselves on the land. Isabelle, still not realizing what she had allowed, continued to privately cheer the rebels on. When Philippe caught wind of this he marched east with his full strength and within a week he had scattered the force of peasants, leaving thousands dead with minimal casualties sustained. Though a victory, after he marched east, one of the leaders of the rebellion who had reached a near-mythical status, Loiz Pichon, seized Lorient with five-thousand men, many of them deserters from the Ducal Army of Brittany. They slaughtered the Grandelumièrian garrison in a similar fashion as Lannion and killed a number of prominent merchants and bureaucrats who were known sympathizers of the occupation. The rebel victory at Lorient, surprising as it was, did not sustain the rebel army, and many of the men left to return home leaving the rebel army with less than three thousand men by June. In response to Lorient, Lorraine dispatched a force of seven-thousand men under the aged Seigneur de Thoiry, who met Pichon and the Breton nobles with their army at Pondi on the 29th June. The Bretons won a surprisingly decisive victory, killing Thoiry and scattering the Grandelumierian force. Enraged, Philippe took the remainder of his force into Upper Brittany, chasing the rebel force, burning and pillaging the countryside as he went. Philippe caught them at Lanball and promptly surrounded and defeated the Bretons, with Pichon and many of his men valiantly defending a hill that was renamed ''"Pichon's Hill"''after the defeat. It would be Pichon who's name served as the wars' nickname. Much later, Isabelle had been questioned on the famous Loiz Pichon and if she'd heard of his sacrifice for her, she could only reply: ''"There were so many."''All the while, unrealistic Isabelle and her ladies-in-waiting had been keeping pointlessly busy with wrapping bandages for the rebel forces. Following the death of Pichon and much of the rebel leadership and the dissolution of their army, the rebellion faded in intensity. Lorraine spent the remainder of the summer garrisoned in Brest, from where he had his men forcefully pacify the countryside. The last major event occurred in late July when a small flotilla of Breton privateers sailed into Brest's harbor and raided the ships at port, burning a number of them and then fleeing. The Breton's resistance eventually dwindled to be no more effective than rural banditry, though much of the population was still fiercely opposed to the occupation. By November of 1711, Lorraine retired to Paris with two-thousand of his men, leaving the remaining seven-thousand to garrison the country. On his way home, Lorraine arrived back in Rennes and visited Isabelle and Philippine de Grandelumière. While Philippe was touring the city on horseback, he was set upon by half a dozen men wielding daggers, swords, and pistols, shouting a warcry that had gained popularity throughout the conflict. When Isabelle enquired if Lorraine had been killed or wounded, she'd been disappointed to hear he survived unscathed. Philippine then made Isabelle present Lorraine with ''l'Ordre de l'Hermine. A war which Isabelle could have prevented was over, and now she'd have to face what had been inevitable all along. It would only be at the end that Isabelle realized what she allowed happen. Engagement Since Constantin XI & XII Porphyrogénète was five years younger than Isabelle, she'd have to wait until 1715 in order to marry. Her bridegroom would be thirteen, and she seventeen. If this wasn't offputting, there was the character of the husband himself. Constantin Marie Germain Romain Francois Victor Euthyme Casimir d'Anjou had been born in the Porphyre of the Grand Palais de Constantinoble, on the 29th August 1702. He had been the sixth child born to Auguste (Justin Pétrone Auguste de Grandelumière) d'Anjou de Grandelumière, Archiduc de Constantinoble, and Catherine (Marie Amélie Élisabeth Catherine) d'Évreux de Bretagne, Archiduchesse de Constantinoble (née''Demoiselle de Bretagne) and Isabelle's own aunt (a seemingly endless amount), who, following her husband's death in 1706, remained the much neglected widow in Grandelumière. As a young boy, Constantin XI & XII Porphyrogénète displayed few symptoms of his otherwise more violent tendencies. It was not until the age of five that this became increasingly apparent. He was known to act violently towards his ''Enfants d'Honneur, several times pushing them from a rocking horse and other toys, and beating them with toy swords. However, in periods of calm, he was deeply curious, if not depressive to some degree, and always fascinated with death. He was known to shower affection onto those he called friends and loved one moment, before becoming intensely irritable or cruel the next. When young, he would often pretend to be a dog, and while some considered this childish games, as he grew it became clear that he oftentimes believed he genuinely was a dog. Considered to suffer hallucinations, manic disorder, lycanthropy, and general violent outbursts, several of these were likely due in large part to his parentage. His parents were first cousins once removed, his great-grandparents were first cousins, and he was engaged to his own third and double first cousin. He was thought to be an imbecile from a young age due to his late development of talking, though it soon became clear this was the result of physical hardship in forming words, which he would not master until much later. As a result of a multitude of factors, the young boy was afflicted with several physical deformities. His left leg was shorter by about five centimeters, causing a noticeable limp in his walking, and coupled with a slightly hunched back, it made rising from his seat and walking long distances tiresome. As a result of the combination of these two, he couldn't walk until the age of five and required frequent help with making his way around the court building. He was always rather thin and frail and stood at a height of no more than three foot ten (at an age in which he should stand four foot two). With a tongue that was slightly too large for his mouth, he also spoke with a heavy lisp and didn't speak properly until the age of three, something which frustrated his tutors and governesses. In general, accompanying this, he was never described at particularly handsome, with sallow skin, marked and mottled with blotches which were only covered by application of make-up. It's unknown if Isabelle knew anything about the health of her bridegroom, one would assume so, and if so, it wouldn't have been of her nature to publicly comment. From the moment the marriage document had been officiated onwards, Isabelle remained bowed down with grief that went too deep for words. So ashamed had she been at submitting to her mother and the marriage document, Isabelle would not even take the air because the route to the gardens meant passing her father's bedroom door. Seeing her pitiable state, her pallor, and her emaciation, Dame Béatrice remonstrated with Isabelle in a kindly way on her duties to her people's moral. Béatrice also arranged for seats in the circular gallery of the palace so that Isabelle could get some fresh air without making that traumatic journey. Nevertheless, Isabelle's condition was summed up by her sister: "She no longer had any hope left in her heart or distinguished between life and death; sometimes she looked at us with a kind of compassion which was quite frightening."''Ironically enough, existence in the palace actually grew easier now that the marriage document had been officiated. ''"Maman's fury is assuaged for the moment,"''wrote Isabelle in her journal. Philippine de Grandelumière and the Vicomte de Rohan gave up their frequent questioning, conversation among Isabelle, Demoiselle Marie, Dame Béatrice, and L'honorable Berthe was unsupervised, and they were able to give servants orders without indulging in subterfuge. Isabelle herself became, inevitably, the focus of courtly sightseeings. At a masked ball in December 1712 nearly 4000 people attended in order to gape at the future Impératrice and were charmed at what they saw. For those unable to inspect the original, there were beginning to be commercial reproductions of Isabelle’s picture, in both Brittany and Grandelumière. Official medals were also struck, with allegorical designs and flowery inscriptions, most of which alluded to her descent, since there was frankly little of interest to be said about the bride (or the bridegroom). One sounded a note of optimism; ''Du plus auguste sang, elle a vu le jour Pourtant, sa haute naissance est le moindre de ses mérites. (From the most august blood she has seen the light of day Yet her high birth is the least of her merits.) The Breton-Grandelumièrian alliance was another popular theme. One medal minted in Grandelumière as early as March 1712 showed the young pair holding hands over an altar where a sacred fire was burning; behind them, the symbolical figures of Grandelumière and Brittany were seen to embrace. Dame Béatrice even gave an account of an unusual musical evening in December 1713 in which the Isabelle sang a lament on the subordination of Brittany, called "La Dernière Duchesse,"''for which Philippine provided the simple words and Demoiselle Marie, an accomplished musician, composed the music. The words were clearly not from Isabelle. Her household listened in silence, tears in their eyes, to her voice accompanied by her sister on the harpsichord; ''Tout est fini pour moi sur la terre, Mais je suis auprès de ma mère. (Everything is fled from me on earth But I am still at my mother's side.) Philippine even wrote a verse for Isabelle to sing, saluting the Électeur de Lorraine as her soon-to-be second father. Farewell In June 1714, in a sad historical irony, Isabelle and her household (now mainly comprised of young widows), repeated the same tour of Brittany they all made together in the summer of 1707. Philippine de Grandelumière would remain in Rennes, but would send the Vicomte de Rohan to accompany Isabelle. There would be no jolly Dame Jeanne-Julie to accompany her now, the latter dying in October 1712 from cancer accelerated by suffering. Isabelle would travel from Rennes onward to Fougères, St-Malo, Saint-Brieuc, Lannion, Morlaix, Brest, Quimper, Concarneau, Lorient, Vannes, Saint-Nazaire, and Nantes. In Vannes, wherein 1707 she so impressed everyone with an address to the people in Breton, Isabelle had been met with a mix of sympathetic gazes and furry—the wickedness of the mother said to pass down to the daughter, another lurid story stating that Rohan had taught Isabelle the intimacies''of married life. At the Château de Suscinio, Isabelle and her household found some peace at last. Unlike the 1707 tour, Isabelle had to make content with vulgar slur when her carriage passed through every Northan town (where much fighting had taken place); ''"duchesse déserte," "duchesse excommuniée," "chienne," "chatte."''Some Breton people didn't see the same woman they had known in 1707. Following years of misguidance, they believed that Isabelle had been tainted by her mother and even caused the war. Another rumor had been that Isabelle was greedy enough to desire the marriage between her and the Grandelumièrian Empereur. Even more alarmingly, there had been four assassination attempts on her life. The first attempt upon Isabelle would occur while departing Fougères (bound for St-Malo), on the 10th January 1714, at approximately six o'clock in the evening. Isabelle and her retinue had departed the Château de Fougères and simply rounded the corner of Place Raoul II de Fougères when a man, Edouarzh Ollivier, fired once upon Isabelle and Rohan who had been sitting with her. Immediately afterward, another shot was heard. The carriage initially paused but Rohan urged it to drive on in haste. Spectators rushed towards the shooter and seized him and he was handed over to the local intendant. The second attempt occurred in Dinan, on the 27th March, at approximately twenty minutes past six o'clock in the evening, when Isabelle, Dame Béatrice, and three ladies-in-waiting had undertaken a prearranged agreement to take an evening drive along the Promenade de la Duchesse Anne. They had departed the Château de Dinan and turned upon the Rue de la Duchesse when a respectably dressed man, Raibeart Pelan, ran forward two or three paces and struck Isabelle a sharp blow on the head with a small black cane. Several persons in the crowd rushed forward and seized the man and for a moment it seemed likely he might be lynched by the mob until the timely arrival of the Intendant. The carriage, however, proceeded onward to continue the evening drive. The third attempt would take place in Brest, on the 9th May, arguably the most dangerous assassination attempt at the hands of one Arzhur Corre. The Électeur de Lorraine in Grandelumière interrupted a discussion during a council meeting and made the following announcement: ''"Messieurs will excuse my interruption of this discussion. I have just been informed that a boy of eighteen or nineteen ran into the garden of Château de Brest as the Duchesse entered, followed the carriage to the door, which is at a short distance, and presented an old-fashioned weapon within a foot of her Grâce Sereine's head. The Duchesse bowed her head, and the boy was seized. I am informed that the weapon was not loaded, and it is believed that the object of the boy was to compel her Grâce Sereine by fear to sign an unknown document which he had in his hand. The Duchesse showed the greatest courage and composure, and immediately commanded the Vicomte de La Galissonière to travel down to Rennes in order to prevent exaggerated rumors and alarm being spread."''The final attempt occurred in Rennes, on the 2nd March, at approximately four o'clock in the afternoon. Isabelle had left the Château des Ducs de Bretagne and continued her journey bound for Rennes. Despite the hail that fell, crowds gathered along the route to cheer Isabelle as she departed forever. After an uneventful journey Isabelle arrived at Rennes but as she was entering her capital, a man, Roderig Madec, along the way fired on her. He was seized at once by the ducal crowd. The following letter was sent from the Palais de Rennes to her grandmother, Xavière de Grandelumière, at the Château de Châteaugiron: ''"In case an exaggerated report should reach you, I write to say that, as I drove into the city a man here fired at the carriage, but fortunately hit no one. He was instantly seized. I am nothing the worse." Departure The Vicomte de Rohan set about the highly elaborate preparations for a daughter of Brittany to marry a son of Grandelumière. It was the Rohan's intention to mobilize a procession whose magnificence would attest to the formerly sovereign state of Brittany, despite being centered around a teenage girl. Horses were a particular concern, horses to draw the endless carriages that were consonant with the rank of the future Impératrice (and a current Archiduchesse courtoisie), horses that had to be changed with sufficient frequency to avoid delays. It was to be a procession of one-hundred and thirty-two dignitaries, swollen to twice that number by doctors, hairdressers, and servants including cooks, bakers, blacksmiths and even a dressmaker for running repairs. For this there was the need for fifty-seven coaches and three-hundred and seventy-six horses; that entailed a total of twenty-thousand horses altogether posted en route. Arranging food and drink for this traveling court—for such it was—a problem in itself. Furthermore, dignity had to be maintained at all points, even in the most intimate moments of everyday existence. The Grandelumièrian accounts showed due concern for the furnishing of the rooms in which Isabelle was to lodge on the way. Curtains were to be of crimson taffeta. Otherwise red velvet and gold embroidery were to be lavished everywhere, not only on furnishings such as the great armchairs for the traveling salon but also in the royal commode and the royal bidet. In the meantime, Philippine de Grandelumière had to grapple with the rather different point of view of Rohan who had been anxious that expense should where possible be spared. Philippine had to explain to Rohan that his pared-down proposal for the Breton military escort would definitely not create a good impression on Grandelumière. In September 1715, Léopold IV (Louis-Pierre Léopold) d'Anjou de Valois, Duc de Valois, was received in audience by Isabelle. It was all very courteous. Valois doffed his hat and was politely told to put his hat back on. Having done so, he took it off again as a sign of respect. When all this was finished, Valois was able to present a letter and two portraits of Constantin XI & XII Porphyrogénète to Isabelle. Primed by Dame Béatrice, Isabelle took one of them, set in diamonds, and pinned it to her corsage. The letter was one of exquisite courtesy and formality, in the contents of which it is unlikely that the Empereur had much say. Xavière de Grandelumière had much advice for Isabelle. Xavière had been an extremely successful consort and was much loved by the people—''"If only Brittany could see my homeland as they see me."The advice Xavière had to give was extremely detailed, much of which was religious in nature; adjurations to pray long, pray often, read holy books and so forth and so on. She hammered home the precept that marriage was the greatest happiness. Above all, she must try to tolerate her violent and mad husband: ''"Although an ugly prince, he is not absolutely repulsive...at least he does not stink."''Where her homeland was concerned: ''"Do not always be talking about our country, or drawing comparisons between our customs and theirs."''Xavière went on; ''"You are a stranger and a subject; you must learn to conform; even more because you are older than your husband, you must not seem to dominate...you know we are subjects of our husbands and owe them obedience."''There was the crucial question of remaining a good Breton. Xavière had told Isabelle that ''"in her heart and in the uprightness of her mind,"''she should be a Breton; only in things that were pressingly important must she appear to be Grandelumièrian. Isabelle was never to introduce any new custom, or behave in any way other than was strictly ordained in advance at the court of Grandelumière; she must never ever cite the usages of the court of Brittany. On the other hand, she must also see it as her duty to ''"be a good Breton."''The rest of Xavière's instructions conveyed in the form of a long letter which Isabelle was told to read once a month, were simple enough. It was carefully laid down, for example, to whom Isabelle would be able to write; on the list had been Xavière herself, and the latter's surviving daughters; Marie de Bretagne, Abbesse de Landévennec, Marguerite de Bretagne, Sœur Marguerite de Jésus, Madeleine de Bretagne, Sœur Madeleine de l'Immaculée Conception, (Georgette de Bretagne had died in January 1715). Isabelle was not to read any book without permission of her confessor, since French books, under the veil of erudition, often showed a shocking lack of respect for religion. Isabelle must never forget the anniversary of her father's death on the 9th September. And, Isabelle should say special prayers for Xavière on her birthday. Finally, Isabelle must not cultivate familiarity with ''"underlings."''Above all, she must remember that ''"all eyes"''would be fixed on her; she must give no scandal. The departure of Isabelle was scheduled for nine o'clock in the morning, on the 10th November 1715. The early hour was deliberate. Whatever Isabelle's glittering future, these partings were not, and could hardly expect to be happy occasions. On this cold November morning, it was Xavière de Grandelumière who clasped her granddaughter to her again and again. Then she broke down and wept. All her aunts had been allowed to watch the cortège depart. As the carriage rolled away from the Palais de Rennes, Isabelle, unable to control her own sobs, craned her neck out of the windows, again and again, to catch the last sight of her home. As the procession of fifty-seven carriages passed through the streets at the beginning of the long road to Grandelumière, the postilions blew their horns. They were saluting the past of the Duchesse-Souveraine and the future of the Impératrice. '''Handover' Isabelle would be handed over in the practically unknown hamlet of La-Chapelle-Hamlin, with the small population of two-hundred and thirty people with the demonym; Hamelinois. To reach La-Chapelle-Hamlin, Isabelle and her impressive retinue would travel from Rennes, Saint-Aubin-du-Cormier, Fougères, Louvigné-du-Désert, then La-Chapelle-Hamlin. The nature of her reception at the various towns along the route was, surprisingly, however, enthusiastic, if repetitious. Her august birth was naturally emphasized, but otherwise, every kind of goddess of youth and beauty was invoked; Hebe, Flora, Venus, and so forth and so on. Thus, Isabelle, in her stately caravan, lauded for her virtues and those of her family, finally reached La-Chapelle-Hamlin on the 10th November. Handovers were never easy to arrange. Islands were the correct spot for actual brides; Marie Ambroisie d'Autriche, the previous Impératrice, had been handed over on the Île des Faisans (Spanish: Isla de los Faisanes), which lay on the river Bidassoa (Spanish: Bidasoa). However, Catherine d'Évreux de Bretagne had been handed over on the same location as Isabelle in the previous century. The problem with La-Chapelle-Hamlin was that the building which once stood had fallen down since Catherine had been handed over. For Isabelle, something wooden had to be hastily put together for this two-way ceremony. Wealthy citizens of Rennes were pressed into service to lend furniture and tapestries while the Université de Rennes provided a suitable dais. Some of these hastily assembled tapestries struck an odd note; no official seems to have noticed that one series depicted the story of Jason and Medea, the rejected mother who slew her own children. But when the Électeur de Lorraine arrived, he had been deeply shocked: "What? At the moment when the young Duchesse is about to step on the soil of her future husband's country, there is placed before her eyes a picture of the most horrible marriage that can be imagined." The meeting took place at three o'clock in the afternoon on the 10th November. Constantin XI & XII arrived in a carriage that contained only the Électeur de Lorraine. Another carriage contained Catherine d'Évreux de Bretagne—déjà vu?—and another accommodated Marie Ambroisie d'Autriche (now an expert at handovers). Following her carriage's arrival, Isabelle stepped out on to the ceremonial carpet that had been laid down. She was wearing an ermine riding habit, punctuated by a lengthy train trimmed with ermine, underneath, she was wearing a rose-colored velvet gown with ermine trim. However, given the coldness of that day, Isabelle had been obliged to keep it on. Isabelle was then introduced to her new household, these would include her new Grand Mistress of the Robe, Laurène (Marie-Marguerite Laurène) de Rochechouart de Mortemart de Viennois, Douairière Électrice de Lorraine, known as Madame la Princesse Douairière, (née''Mademoiselle de Viennois), her Almoner, Théodose (Jean Michael Théodose) d'Anjou de Lorraine, Électeur-Archevéque de Cologne, the First Lady of Honour, Florentine (Anne Florentine Marie) d'Anjou de Lorraine, the Duchesse de Valois (''née''Mademoiselle de Lorraine), the Governess of the Royal Children, Eudocie (Anne Zoé Eudicue) d'Anjou de Lorraine, Duchesse de Montpipeau (''née''Mademoiselle de Montpensier), among others. Having made the necessary formalities, Isabelle, accompanied by Philippine de Grandelumière, Demoiselle Marie, the Vicomte de Rohan (the Vicomtesse had died back in September 1710), the eight Mademoiselles de Rohan, Dame Béatrice, and L'honorable Berthe, entered the handover pavilion. The Vicomte de Rohan, taking up Isabelle's hand, duly presented ''"Votre Grâce Sereine, Duchesse-Souveraine de Bretagne et Archiduchesse de Constantinoble"''whereupon Isabelle flung herself on her knees in front of ''"Monsieur mon Empereur et très cher mari."''Perched upon an armchair, frowning, and swinging his dangling feet, was a youth with heavy-lidded eyes and thick dark eyebrows, looking awkward—or was it sulky?—and generally crooked. In short, Constantin XI & XII was not quite the idealized figure of the portraits and the miniature that Isabelle had received, which had tactfully and understandably trimmed his entire appearance. Following a formal embrace, which Constantin XI & XII had been persuaded to do following a tantrum, Isabelle was introduced to the Princes and Princesses du Sang, as the relatives of the monarch were known, this title being the most prized distinction at the Grandelumièrian court. Here were the d'Anjou de Lorraine and the d'Anjou de Valois. In the adjoining chamber, Isabelle swore on a Bible to renounce her right through Constantin VII to the Breton hereditary land and through her both Constantin VII and Philippine de Grandelumière, to Grandelumière. This formal renunciation was frequently asked of departing princesses in order to prevent a foreign dynasty from trying to acquire the family throne if the male succession failed. She then signed away Brittany, unfortunately snapping her quill nib during the process. Was it intentional? Probably not. Nevertheless, it struck an unsettling atmosphere. '''Arrival in Grandelumière' Now, by documentative proof, Isabelle was Grandelumièrian. And following which, the immense cortège then traveled on to the Abbaye de Fontevraud, where she'd become acquainted with Anne (Marie-Élisabeth Anne) de Rochechouart de Mortemart de Viennois, Abbesse de Fontevraud, and younger sister of Madame la Princesse Douairière. From Fontevraud it would be onto the Château de Bizy, where she'd meet another Lady of Honour, Constance (Constance Émilie) de Wittelsbach, the current Électrice de Lorraine and, naturally, the wife of the Électeur de Lorraine, known as Madame la Princesse, (née''Mademoiselle de Wittelsbach). Her odd manners and apparent coldness didn't appeal to Isabelle—"I believe she had the presumptuousness to advise me?"From Bizy, the retinue traveled onward to Paris. The Château d'Argenteuil, occupied by contemporary furnishing, extravagant gardens, and impressive state apartments. Isabelle's chamber had been redecorated for her arrival, which gave the much-neglected chamber a more feminine look (the previous occupant, Marie Ambroisie d'Autriche, had not been fond of the room and hadn't spent much time there). From Argenteuil, there had been a short stay in the Château de Rueil, which was the primary residence of Hercules (Louis-Assomption Hercules) de Rochechouart de Mortemart de Viennois, Électeur-Dauphin de Viennois, and Archevêque de Paris. However, an excursion to the Château de Houilles, the residence of the former Archiduc, caused much concern and terror. The Empereur, caught in a moment of hysteria, bludgeoned the old Duc de Montmorency to the ground all under Isabelle's gaze. Quite unfortunately, the Duc would succumb to his injuries. Following the horror of Houilles, Isabelle and the enormous cortège arrived in Paris. There was a stay at the Temple, built by the Ordre du Temple around 1240, during the reign of St. Louis. It was dark, dank, and damp. Naturally, Isabelle didn't like it much. But it wouldn't be long until a magnificent procession departed the Temple and drove to Le Grand Palais de Constantinoble. Isabelle arrived with her entourage at Constantinoble at about half past nine in the morning. Every window of the great façade was thronged with curious spectators. Isabelle also benefited from the brilliant November morning for her first sight of the fabled palace where, as she assumed, she would spend the rest of her life. She was then conducted to the third-floor apartments that had once belonged to the previous Impératrice Consort, Marie Ambroisie d'Autriche, to prepare herself for the wedding ceremony. This was arranged to take place the following morning in the Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Paris, the Cathédrale de l'Archidiocèse de Paris, situated upon the l'île de la Cité. These were to be her permanent apartments, and one couldn't say they lacked privacy due to the dead-end location. The Bâtiments de l'Empereur hadn't refurbished anything except the bedchamber given that the authoritarian and stubborn Marie Ambroisie d'Autriche refused to relinquish them to Isabelle. The apartment constituted of five rooms; a corridor, an antechamber, something akin to a spare room, an audience chamber, and a bedchamber. The corridor which connected the apartment to the mezzanine level had been dank and un-lit, untouched since the previous century. Similarly, the antechamber and spare room, which stood adjacent, were dimly illuminated. Decorated in burgundy paper and oak paneling, the antechamber, sparsely furnished, served no purpose other than being another walkway. The audience chamber, however, had been well furnished, though decorated in a drab dark green paper. The apartment, so unappealing in a young adolescent girl, gave the slightly depressing air of temporary accommodation. However, the bedroom, which had previously been similar in appearance to the decor which occupied the Real Alcázar de Madrid (given the previous inhabitant being Spanish by birth), was stripped and festooned in sky blue silk and trimmed in Italian marble. The furniture all complimented the wall padding, and the marble complimented the ancient marble chimney which remained untouched. An awe-inspiring moment was provided when Isabelle was presented with the magnificent jewelry, diamonds, and pearls, that were her due as Impératrice. They had previously belonged to Antoinette (Marie-Élisabeth Antoinette) d'Anjou, Électrice-Dauphiné de Viennois, whose wealth of jewelry at her death had been impressive. Upon Antoinette's death in 1705, her jewelry had been bequeathed to her cousin Archiduc Auguste de Grandelumière, and upon Auguste's death in 1706, they would be passed to Constantin XI & XXII Porphyrogénète. He would then give them, by recommendation, to Isabelle upon her arrival. This would include the magnificent "Napolitain" necklace, estimated cost of 2,000,000 livres, described as "''a row of seventeen glorious diamonds, as large almost as filberts…a three-wreathed festoon, simple pear shaped, multiple star-shaped, or clustering amorphous…" There was a multitude of other luxurious gifts provided by Catherine de Bretagne, such as a fan encrusted in diamonds, and bracelets with her cipher "JI" on the blue enamel clasps, which were also ornamented with diamonds. The bounty of jewelry arrived in a crimson velvet coffer, six feet long and over three feet high. Its various drawers were lined with sky-blue silk and had matching cushions; the central feature was a parure of diamonds for Isabelle herself, but there were also presents labeled for her attendants (Dame Béatrice had been given a pearl necklace which included the letter "B" in gold, from which drooped a pearl droplet). The wedding ring itself had been fitted from among a dozen provided at Compiègne and was therefore expected to give no problem. Marriage The full panoply of Grandelumière was now centered upon a central figure who, in the words of one observer, was so small and slender in her white brocade dress inflated with its vast hoops on either side that she looked "not above twelve."''Yet the dignity of Isabelle who had ''"the bearing of an Impératrice"—the result of that rigorous grooming of her childhood, which had been the most efficient part of her oppression—was universally commended. And this was a place where style and grace of self-presentation were of paramount importance. The Empereur, on the other hand, was generally reported as being cold, sulky or listless throughout the long Mass, in contrast to his bride. However, the Empereur exchanged a warm expression (Isabelle even wept with emotion) while cords swelled from the colossus organ as the prayer for the monarch elevated heavenward—''Domine salvum fac regem''. Isabelle, metaphorically receiving the Holy Spirit, would now be married to a very Christian Empereur, a sacred Empereur, Lieutenant of God on Earth, Constantin XI & XXII Porphyrogénète de Grandelumière, Autocrate des Romains, Roi de France, d'Allemagne et de Navarre, et Duc-Régnante de Bretagne. In the signing of the marriage contract, however, the handwriting expertise of both bride and bridegroom would be on full display. The entire Imperial family signed in the appropriate order, first of all, "Constantin Porphyrogénète" written messily and scratchy for the Empereur, then "Isabelle" neatly and precisely written by the new Impératrice. The festivities which followed were widely felt to constitute the finest wedding anyone had ever seen. Indeed, the old hangers-on thought so too (some had courtly experience dating back to the minority of St. Marie II Porphyrogénète). The outstanding nature of the celebrations was generally ascribed to the high rank of the bride: "A monarch of Grandelumière does not marry the sovereign of Brittany every day." The lanterns and the lights everywhere, even the Seine covered in illuminated boats, left an unforgettable impression. Though, one important ceremony wouldn't take place. The bedding ceremony. Given the youth of the Empereur, physical sexual intercourse couldn't occur until he had reached an appropriate. Thus' Isabelle had been spared from the time being. Impératrice-Consort de Grandelumière (Miscellaneous/WIP) L'Académie de Peinture et de Sculpture (Miscellaneous/WIP) Personality and Appearance Personality Isabelle's personality went under a great transformation from her childhood to her adolescence. One must remember that Isabelle had been groomed from childhood to become an independent sovereign of a fledgling Grandelumièrian vassal. This meant she'd have to be authoritative, exceptionally intelligent, and outwardly austere. Indeed, by the time Constantin VII died in 1707, Isabelle omitted both maturity and an authoritarian countenance. When it came to Philippine de Grandelumière and her oppressive regency, Isabelle had initially managed to keep her bearings, though would soon become remarkably quieter and less self-assured. After all, Isabelle was suffering maltreatment during a period of her adolescence when one's confidence and personal image is naturally put through the much self-scrutiny. The result of her time under Philippine's regency would be a damaged Isabelle and an apprehensive and quiet personality, ridden with inward anger and contempt. Her contempt had mainly been directed toward the Grandelumière, since wasn't it for Grandelumière that she was being subject to such mistreatment? However, with the passage of time, her relationship with Grandelumière would grow to lukewarm. Everyone in Grandelumière loathed her, and everyone in Brittany loathed her (more or less). So what could be done? Isabelle soon realized that she couldn't do anything but move on and disassociate herself with her former independence. She was now set on accomplishing the role she had now been condemned to live out. She was quick to remember what Xavière de Grandelumière had warned her: "You are a stranger and a subject; you must learn to conform; even more because you are older than your husband, you must not seem to dominate...you know we are subjects of our husbands and owe them obedience."''Thus', Isabelle took to being both a passive and obedient consort. And as it would turn out, becoming both passive and obedient wouldn't be hard to fulfill. From the beginning, Isabelle would be subject to physical abuse and torment by her husband. This included punching, scratching, kicking, spitting, pulling and so on and so forth. What developed would be the natural submissive personality of one who is subject to domestic violence. Submissiveness and dependency would be the order of the day. From childhood to her adolescence, Isabelle had changed dramatically and abnormally. She had been put through hell and never ventured out. More positively, Isabelle's compassion became more pronounced. Maybe it had been something physiological—since she couldn't assist her own suffering, she could find solace in assisting others. Indeed, her compassion toward the poor became more profound with every passing year. Isabelle—for all the abuse heaped upon her, the people who deliberately splashed her with their carriages when she was out walking, the others who talked loudly and insultingly about her a short, safe distance away—was still expected to exercise that traditional benevolence that was an integral part of the duties of the Impératrice-Consort de Grandelumière. She funded many poor women encumbered with debt who had pawned their vital goods. The Empereur merely authorized the redemption of pledges for goods worth one louis or less, but still, the principle of Isabelle's innate compassion was maintained. In early January 1716, she presided over a committee meeting of a ''charité maternelle''in aid of poverty-stricken mothers, at which a report was submitted to about forty women present. Isabelle impressed the rich ladies in attendance by inviting everyone to sit in her presence. When she was asked to state her preferences, since funds did not permit helping more than two mothers at a time, she tactfully announced that she had consulted the Empereur on the subject. Isabelle then gave a further financial gift, which in the words of one of those present, Louise-Hippolyte de Grimaldi, Duchesse de Valentinois, would enable them to help further unfortunates in ''"the asylum of misery."''When Louis VII (Louis-Toussaint Alexandre) de Rochechouart de Mortemart de Viennois, Électeur-Dauphin de Viennois, pressed her to assist in funding for the relief of the poor who suffered from the harsh winter, she accepted without question. Furthermore, she then enquired upon the condition of the poor across the country and what could be done to relieve their sufferings. On New Years' 1716, Isabelle made a trip to the Couvent des Madelonnettes with Madame la Princesse Douairière, and the Duchesse de Valois. There, Isabelle dressed the poor (who had been emitted entry) in new clothes at her expense. She then sat down to dinner with the Sœurs de Sainte Madeleine, Sœurs de Sainte' Marthe, Sœurs de Saint Lazare. Following the dinner, she then visited the girls and women of misconduct who were detained within the convent's walls on the orders of the judges or even just at their family's request. All her charity work, coupled with any display of public affection, gained much public acclamation from. Public emotion had been demonstrated too on occasion, most notably during her marriage ceremony and the Imperial Election which took place in January 1717. Of course, upon her arrival, she'd been subject to much. Élisabeth (Marie-Catherine Élisabeth) de Wurtembergeois, Duchesse de Ventadour (''née''Mademoiselle de Wurtembergeois), writing to Jeannette (Marie-Louise Jeannette) de Wurtembergeois, Mademoiselle de Wurtembergeois, commented: ''"I am quite uncertain when regarding the Duchesse's appearance and countenance, but I do hope and pray that this tormented woman has recovered from the terrible treatment she endured in Rennes. How horrible it is to know one's own sex is persecuted so. I am certain, given her survival and endurance, that we will find a wise Impératrice."''More unsympathetically, Juliette (Louise-Romaine Juliette) de Lévis, Duchesse du Haut-Palatinat (''née''Mademoiselle d'Illa), would write in her correspondence: ''"I find the Duchesse rather simple, she has nothing but piety to describe herself as, except maybe boring. All the Bretons are boring." A strong asset to Isabelle's personality was her extreme piety. Indeed, her faith in God was not something that grew over time; au contraire, it had been instilled in her from a young age and continued throughout her life. From her time spent with the Franciscan Order accompanied her in Nantes, to the various orders of nuns she would visit, her piety continuously aided her in the idea of divine destiny. At thirteen, a time when her Brittany was on the brink of war, Isabelle believed her divine destiny would be to be an independent Breton sovereign, the first from the Maison d'Évreux, who would work on uniting her country under the wise guidance of her father's administrative council. Then it would be her intention to marry well, a Rohan perhaps? What an example that would be, to unite the modern ducal sovereignty with the ancient past. Though, all such aggrandized whims were hopeless to dwell upon. However, it hadn't just been her naivety to believe this her divine destiny, but a firm belief which had been inculcated in youth. The prevailing story of her youth would be being taken down to view the ducal crypt in Nantes, row upon row of sovereigns; Jean IV, Jean V the Wise (Breton: Yann V ar Fur), François I the Well-Loved (Breton: Frañsez Iañ), Pierre II the Simple (Breton: Pêr II), Anne de Bretagne—''"They have all passed so you can prevail." '' Following her marriage, Isabelle went into some religious disillusionment, not knowing what God had planned in her torment. A test? A test of endurance, for what? Hadn't the idea of a hereditary line been that God willed her right to rule by birth and birth alone? Why did she need a test? Well, God had willed it to end her country's sovereignty, so it couldn't be that no more. However, she'd soon become Impératrice-Consort de Grandelumière, this would mean holding the title of Römisch-Deutscher Kaiserin (Holy Roman Empress). Historically, the Empereur de Grandelumière was designed to be primus inter pares, or, first among equals of the Catholic monarchs. Moreover, while the Empereur de Grandelumière was perceived to rule by divine right, throughout history, he was even controversially considered equal or above the Pope. Isabelle's piety certainly did not hurt her in her new figurative role as the first lady of Christendom. Additionally, no matter how unpopular she would prove to be, the femme pieuse et vertueuse, occupied that constant role of the popular consort, something which Xaviere de Grandelumiere did not fail to mention. This would be her divine destiny and one which her grandmother had well instructed her in. However, not all were convinced her piety was legitimate. As mentioned above, some were under the impression it was to improve her PR. Josephine (Marie-Irène Josephine) d'Hanovre, Princesse de Turenne (née''Mademoiselle de Brunswick), upon being appointed to attend Isabelle in Temple, wrote the following: ''"She put on such an appearance and show of humility and piety to the Impératrice Douairière that she could've passed as a saint with her,"''while others considered her piety too extreme; Constance (Anne-Constance) d'Anjou, Grand Duchesse de Toscane (''née''Mademoiselle de Valois), wrote in her correspondence that: ''"She is very superstitious. Some years ago a nun of Fontevrault, called Madame de Boitar, died. Whenever she ''(Isabelle)''loses anything she promises to this nun prayers for the redemption of her soul from purgatory and then does not doubt that she shall find what she has lost. She piques herself upon being extremely pious but does not consider lying and deceit are the works of the Devil and not of God. Ambition, pride, and selfishness have entirely spoilt her. I fear she will not make a good end."''However, such talk was nonsense, spun by women whose positions in life were so decidedly bellow Isabelle's own. Isabelle's piety did play some role in her proudness but make no mistake, it was not proudness of her person, but rather, that which she considered properly devolved to her, in her role as a virtuous servant of God. Her piety, although others might not have seen it, was legitimate in all that she did. Fortunately, some were able to see Isabelle for who she really was; a girl, a pious one at that, and one who's piety aided her in all she did. However, those who were witness to this would only be the select group of courtiers who she included in her daily goings-on. Having found an ally in her aunt, Catherine de Bretagne, the two spent countless hours in each other's company. They were like-minded, virtuous, and reminded one another of their shared past. Writing to her mother, Xavière de Grandelumiere, the Catherine would record: ''"She (Isabelle) does not esteem herself half so much as she deserves, for she is one of the best persons in the world; she is pious and virtuous, accomplished in every point, and not at all vain." Appearance Isabelle's appearance was satisfactory enough, and where it was not, it could easily be fixed. Her teeth, for example, were noticed to be in a bad state, and crooked; but wires were beginning to be used to straighten unsightly teeth, in a system known as "the pelican," invented by a Frenchman who was later the Imperial dentist. Three months of this treatment gave Isabelle the required, regular teeth. Her large, well-spaced eyes, a subtle blue-grey, were slightly short-sighted. But the consequent misty look was not unattractive, and for the rest, lorgnettes could be brought into play; fans often elegantly included them. Of her advantages, her hair was fair: a light ash color that would probably deepen with the years, but that now set off her pink and white complexion to good effect. On the other hand, Isabelle had an uneven hairline. Together with a high forehead, which was considered to be a Habsburg trait and was unfashionable by the standards of the time, this made for difficulties. The long neck was a definite asset but the nose was slightly aquiline; fortunately, this was not a period when short noses were admired to the exclusion of all others. Isabelle's nose could be described as a distinguished one, suited to an Impératrice. There was, however, nothing to be done about the notorious Habsburg lip (Isabelle would inherit this from the maternal side), a projecting lower lip visible in Habsburg portraits down the centuries. The effect given was that of a slight pout in a girl, a rather more disdainful attitude in a woman. It was something that Isabelle became proud over; that haughty high-nosed look, which many felt, corresponding well to the character of the inner woman. At this time, it was simply a matter of getting artists to avoid portraying her in profile. Sculptors obviously had more of a problem, which is why it is much easier to comprehend the reality of Isabelle's appearance—if not her allure—from the busts. Where Isabelle's figure was concerned, one shoulder was higher than the other but that could be corrected by the proper use of corsetry or concealed by padding. Isabelle had been skinny and flat-chested in an age when a proper feminine bosom was considered an essential attraction; she was also not very tall. But with puberty, both bosom and height would follow. For all these minor faults, the general effect was very beguiling. Isabelle had in her youth a "smile sufficient to win the heart"''and that smile indicated her general wish to please. However, she didn't smile much before the court, which Marie Ambroisie d'Autriche applauded: ''"great women of history do not smile."''However, whenever in private company she was said to have smiled often. She even believed that smiling in public boosted public opinion, which she did regularly. Her smile, whenever Isabelle did such, was a distinction that Isabelle's former regent Pierre III de Rougé, Seigneur de La Bellière, commented upon. ''"One can find faces that are more regularly beautiful,"''he wrote of Isabelle. ''"I do not think it would be possible to find one that is more delightful." Issue * Stillborn boy (c.February 1717) Ancestry Titles, Styles, and Honours * '26th February 1698 - 9th September 1707'Madame, Demoiselle de Bretagne * '9th September 1707 - 1710'Votre Grâce Sereine, Duchesse-Souveraine de Bretagne Comtesse d'Etamps, Comtesse de Rennes, Comtesse de Montfort, Comtesse de Dreux, Comtesse d'Ivry, Comtesse de Richmond, and Baronne de Parthenay. * '1710 - 24th November 1715'Son Altesse Impériale, Archiduchesse de Constantinople * '24th November 1715 - Present'Sa Majesté Romaine et Chrétienne, Impératrice-Consort de Grandelumière Autocrate des Romains, Reine Consort de France, d'Allemagne et de Navarre, Duchesse-Régnante de Bretagne.